Can opener



Jan. 9, 19.23u

P. J. A ND'RAE ET AL. CAN OPENER.

FILED NOV. 20,1919.

Imager? WJ, ffer JI ndwae Jan.'9, 1923. 1,441,652.

P. J. ANDRAE ET AL.

CAN OPENER.

-FILED NOV. 20, 1919. 2 SHEETS-SHEET Z.

Patented Jan. 9, 1923.

PAT

y i,44i,652 orion.

PETER J'. ANDRAE AND ANDREW W. SWANSON, 0F SEATTLE, WASHINGTON; SAID ANDRAE ASSIGNDR 1. SAID SWANSON.

CAN OPENER.

Application filed November 20, 1919.

To all fwllwmvz't may concern:

and ANDREW W. Swanson, citizens of the United States, and residents of the city of Seattle, county-of King, and State of Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Can Openers, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in can openers, and more particularly to can openers of that character, whereby the top may be cut from the body of a can at a point just below the seam which joins the top and side walls together.1

rllhe principal object of the invention is to provide a can opening device, whereby the end of a can may be quickly removed and which, in the process, will turn the metal outwardly along the cut, so as to leave the cut edges in such condition that the contents of the can-may be removed in a body, as packed.

ln accomplishing this object we have provided improved details of construction, the

preferred forms of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein,

` Fig. 1-' is a side view of a can opening device constructed according to the present invention, showing a can in position to be opened.

` v Fig. 2 is a horizontal, sectional view taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Fig. l, showing the relative positions of the can and opener parts before the cutting knife has pierced the can.

Fig. 3 is a similar View :in a slightly higher plane, after the eccentric has been moved to cause the can to be pieced by the cutting knife.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of certain parts of the device, illustrating the position .of the guide and knurled rollers at opposite sides of the joint flange.

Fig. 5 is an end view of the bracket which carries the eccentric shaft and rollers.

Fig. 6 is an underside View of the cutter mechanism.

Fig. 7 illustrates an alternative construction, wherein the piercing knife is differently mounted and manipulated. I

Fig. 8 is a can opener comprising modifications in construction.

- Fig. 9 is a horizontal,- sectional View, substantially on the line 9w9 of Fig. 7.

,Referring more in detail to the Several Serial No. 339,509.

views of the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate like-parts.

1 designates a supporting standard and 2 a ianged base plate, by which the standard may be mounted and'rigidly 'supported in a vertical position from any suitable base or foundation.

'At its upper end, the standard is provided with a laterally extending bracket 3, whereon the principalcutting members, presently described, are mounted, and slidably mounted onthe standard below-the bracket is a collar 4 provided with a laterally extending arm 5 which, at its outer end, supports a table 6 whereupon the cans, as indicated at 7, are placed for opening;

The present device is intended particularly to be used for opening salmon cans, and, it is desired that the cans be opened in such a manner that theircontents may be removed, for inspection, in a body, the same las it -is packed and may, after inspection be placed in new cans in the same condition. A certain type of can for which the device is especially adapted is one wherein the top is secured to the body by a seam joint which forms a sort of projecting ange as is illustrated at 8 in several figures of the drawing.

For the accommodation of cans of different height, the collar 4, which supports the table 6, is slidable along the standard 1 and may be held at any set position by means of a set screw 9 which may be tightened. against the standard.

Revolubly mounted within the outer end of the bracket 3 is a short eccentric l0 heldv in position and adapted to be partially .rotated within its mounting by means of a radially extending lever, or arm, 11, which moves within an arcuate slot 12 in the end of the bracket.

Extending longitudinally through the eccentric 10 and revoluble therein, is an eccentrically located shaft 13 which is provided atitsupper end with a crank 14 by which it may be revolved and at its lower end with a serrated or `knnrled roller 15 which revolves therewith. Revolubly mounted on a screw bolt 16, on the under face of the bracket 3, and closely adjacent the roller 15 is ay guide roller 17., provided witha groove 18 and a peripheral flange 19 which will receive the flange 8 of a can 7. Also secured to the under side of the bracket 3, is a lcutter which under-` lies and extends slightly beyond the roller 17 and is held in place by the bolt 16 and a screw 21 at its inner end.

At its outer end the cutter 2O is provided with a. sharpened point 22 and at one side with a forwardly inclined cutting edge 23, as shown best in Fig. 2.

When a can, or a number of cans are to be opened, the Iirst can is placed upon the table 6 and the latter adjusted along thc standard so that the can will engage the lpoint 22 and the upper flange of the can will be held cna level with the groove of the roller 17. The set screw 9 is then tightened to hold the table at this adjusted position. In order that succeeding cans of the same size may be placed in position without adjustment ci the table we have mounted the table in such a manner that it may be depressed a certain amount which is necessary to permit the flange of the can to be located in proper position for cutting. The means which supports the table in this manner comprises a post 25 which is secured thereto and is vertically slidable in a boss 26 at the end of the arm 5.

. 27 encloses the boss and Apost .and bears against the arm and table to yieldingly hold the latter at its upper limit, while the head of a screw 28 -threaded into the end of the post 25 retains it from displacement.

To open a can, it is placed upon the table i so that its upper flanged edge is inline with the groove of the roller 17 and slightly above the point 22 of, the cutter. The lever 11 is then moved in a direction as indicated by the arrow thereon in Fig. 2 to partially rotate the eccentric 10 to carry the shaft l1 eccentrically mounted therein, toward the cutting edge 23. y As the eccentric revolves, the roller 15 is carried inwardly and engages the inner face of the flange 8 of the can, -which moves the can inwardly and presses the point 22 of the cutter through the can wall just below the flange as is shown in Fig. 4. A Jfurther movement of they lever tightens the rollers 15 and 17 against opposite sides of the flan The handle 14 is then revolved in the direction as shown by the arrow thereon in Fig. 3 so that the knurled edges of the roller 15 grip the flange 8 and revolve the can so that the cutting edge 23 severs the top from the can and, due to the outward mchne of the cutting edge, the severed edges will be turned out and not into the can, andl the contents can be easily removed.

In Fig. 7 we have illustrated a modified type of cutter 30. This cutter may be mounted on the` bolt 16 as previously and has a single point 31 and a laterally turned lever portion `32. A link 33 is pivotally fixed at one end eccentrically to the lower end of theeccentric 10 and at its other end is con- Acoiled spring nected by means ol a pin and slot connection as shown at 34 with the outer Yend of the lever arm 32, in such a manner that when the rollers are in open position toreceive a can, the point 31 extends straight forward. When the lever 11 is turned to cause the roller 15 to press the point intoy the'can, the greater part of its movement does not effect the position of the cutter, but during its final movement which clamps the flange between the' rollers, the link 33 causes the cutter to be moved pivotally4 on its mounting to a forwardly inclined direction so that it functions. as the inclined edge 23 of the first described cutter.

In Figures 8 and 9 we have illustrated au alternative type off construction wherein the shaft 11 is in a fixed bearing and the roller 15 has no movement ltoward or from the standard as previously described. A cutter b-lade 35 having a piercing point 36 and a cutting edge 37 are fixed on a lever arm 33 that is pivotally mounted on the underside of the bracket 3 so that the cutter may be swung into or away from the. can. lt being apparent .that when the lever 3S is swung away from the can, the cutter will be pressed thro-ugh the can wall and that by revolving the crank 14 as indicated, the can will be revolved against the blade 37 to sever the top therefrom. Movement of the blade inwardly is prevented by a stop 40 fixed in the bracket 3, against which the arm abuts.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new therein, and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is-

1. A can opener of the class described, comprising in combination witha supporting bracket, an eccentric rotatable within the bracket, a shaft extended rotatably through the eccentric, a friction roller fixed at one end of the shaft, a guide roller mounted on the bracket in cooperative relation to the 'friction roller to receive the flange of a can to be opened between them, a cutter blade fixed to the bracket having a piercing point. and a cutting edge extending beyond the peA riphery of the guide roller and beneath thtl friction roller, means for rotating the eccentric whereby the said friction roller will engage the fiange of the can` and cause the can wall to be pressed against the cutting i blade and the flange of the can to be clamped `between said friction and ide rollers, and means for rotating the sha to effect the r0- tation of the can against the cutting blade.

2. The combination with a. standard having a can supporting table xed thereon and a bracket extending laterally from the standard above the table, of a can opening mechanism comprising a rooved guide roller mounted on the un er side of the said bracket. van eccentric mounted rotatablv within the bracket, a shaft extended rotatably through the eccentric and a friction,

Menem Y m roller mounted on the roller end of the shaft thereof to be projected throu b e can Wall in cooperative relation Withtlie guide roller, by the clamping process and aving a cutso that a flange of a can may be clamped beting edge inclined in such manner as to cause tween the same, a lever fixed within the ecv the severed edges of the can Wall tobe turned 5 cent-ric for rotating the latter to effect a outwardly as the can-is advanced. 15 clamping operation, a crank fixed to the Signed at Seattle, Washington, this 13th shaftfor rotating the same and the friction day of November, 1919. roller to' effect rotation of the can, a blade Xed "o the bracket and extending beneath PETER J. ANDRAE.

10 the guide roller and beyond the periphery' ANDREW W. SWANSON. 

